July 6 2003: Joseph Wilson argues in The New York Times that the Bush Administration misrepresented intelligence on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the lead-up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq

July 8 2003: Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, meets Judith Miller, a newspaper journalist and discusses Mr Wilson’s wife, Valerie Wilson, with her

July 14 2003: Robert Novak identifies Valerie Wilson as a CIA operative on WMD in his newspaper column

September 26 2003: The Department of Justice and FBI begin a criminal investigation into the possible unauthorized disclosure of Valerie Wilson’s CIA affiliation

March 2004: Libby testifies before the grand jury. He claims that he learnt from a journalist – NBC's Tim Russert – of Valerie Wilson’s CIA role, not vice versa

July 7 2005: Judith Miller is jailed for contempt of court after refusing to testify to the grand jury that her meeting with Libby took place

September 29 2005: Ms Miller is released after agreeing to testify

October 12 2005: Ms Miller produces notes from a previously undisclosed meeting with Libby on June 23 2003, weeks before Wilson’s editorial was published. Her notes state that Joseph Wilson’s wife was a CIA employee

October 28 2005: Libby is indicted on five felony counts related to the leak probe – one of obstruction of justice, two of perjury and two of making false statements – and resigns from the Vice President’s staff

November 3 2005: Libby enters a plea of not guilty

August 30 2006: The New York Times reports that Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was the “initial and primary source” for Mr Novak’s article. CNN reports that Armitage had been confirmed by sources as disclosing Valeria Wilson’s role

January 16 2007: Libby’s criminal trial begins in Washington DC

February 7/8 2007: Tim Russert testifies that he did not disclose Valerie Wilson’s identity to Libby

March 6 2007: Libby found guilty on four of five counts of obstruction of justice and perjury. He faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.25 million

June 5, 2007: Libby sentenced to two and a half years in prison for lying and obstruction of justice. He is also fined $250,000.

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